Now Mac compatible with Intel-based Mac computers! Software and drivers are now available for use of the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider with Apple computers running Mac OS X. Visit the StarShoot AutoGuider product support section to download software and drivers.

Autoguiding has revolutionized the capture of deep-sky astro-images by mechanizing the tedious and tiring method of "manually" guiding an astrophotography exposure, which involved staring endlessly into an illuminated reticle telescope eyepiece while vigilantly tweaking your mount's electronic drive controls by hand to keep the stars pinpoint sharp. Until now, the problem has always been the lack of a simple, affordable autoguider camera to do the job.

Problem solved. The Orion StarShoot AutoGuider provides a user-friendly, dedicated autoguiding camera for long-exposure astrophotography. It's compatible with virtually any mount equipped with an autoguider port and comes with all the software and cables needed to work right out of the box!

The StarShoot AutoGuider is built around a high-resolution, 1/2" format 1.3-megapixel CMOS monochrome chip, with 5.2µ x 5.2µ pixels for highly accurate guiding. That high accuracy due to the small pixel size means you can use the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider with smaller, less expensive guide scopes than what's possible with other guide cameras (such as the now-discontinued ST-4). The chip resides in a super-compact, anodized aluminum housing that measures just 2.5" wide by 2.35" long and weighs a mere 4.4 oz. It has a 1.25" nosepiece that can be removed to access a T-thread interface. On top of that, the StarShoot AutoGuider's short inward focus requirement of only 15mm from a typical 1.25" Plossl telescope eyepiece makes it compatible with virtually any telescope.

The StarShoot AutoGuider's incredible ease of use will appeal to beginning and experienced astrophotographers alike. We've included highly acclaimed PHD Guiding software for the most intuitive and user-friendly autoguiding experience. The included PHD Guiding software requires no previous knowledge of autoguiding. It offers automatic calibration and guiding with literally a single mouse click. PHD Guiding has been ranked as the #1 guiding software in the 2007 "AstroPhoto Insight" magazine. The StarShoot AutoGuider is powered via your computer's high-speed USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 connection with the included 5' USB cable; no other power source is needed. A 6' RJ-12 cable is also included to connect the AutoGuider to the mount without the need for an additional RS-232 adapter.

With the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider, precision autoguiding for deep-sky photography is now easier and more economical than ever. Buy one today for your imaging setup!

Media Buzz

Sky & Telescope Magazine - January 2009
"The StarShoot AutoGuider from Orion Telescopes & Binoculars is so affordable that now even casual astrophotographers can justify the cost of being freed from the tedium of manually guiding a telescope during long exposures... The StarShoot AutoGuider is supplied with powerful yet easy-to-use software..."

"A nice feature of the StarShoot is its simple cable connections. There's an RJ-12 jack on the camera, allowing it to connect directly to the mount with a single, simple cable. The other camera connection is for a USB cable that runs to a laptop....just two cables are needed to run the auto-guiding system."

"With my 66-mm guidescope, the StarShoot proved sensitive enough to always find a suitable guidestar even in the star-poor fields surrounding some popular galaxies."

"Orion has provided a fine autoguiding package that breaks new ground for affordability and ease of use.... Given the StarShoot AutoGuider's low cost and high level of performance, virtually every deep-sky astrophotographer can now enjoy the benefits of autoguiding."

"The results speak for themselves. I had nice round stars and PHD [Guiding] and the StarShoot AutoGuider did a great job.

"All in all, I would recommend this camera if you want a low-cost alternative for guiding. It should fit within the budgets of many imagers and make astrophotography a little easier."

Astronomy Technology Today - October 2008
"The StarShoot AutoGuider (SSAG) could not be simpler to use.... Insert the SSAG in the guide scope, connect its USB cable to your computer, and the RJ-12 cable to the guide port on the mount and you are ready to go. Fire up the PHD guiding software included with the SSAG, select a guide star and let the software do its thing.... As one of the more famous TV infomercials used to say, 'Set it and forget it!' "

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

Imaging chip

Short for "charge-coupled device," a CCD chip is a light-sensitive electronic detector used in making astronomical images. Sensitive over a wide range of wavelengths, and much more efficient than film in gathering light, CCDs are often used to image extremely faint objects.

A/D conversion

The Analog to Digital Converter (A/D Converter) transfers the raw analog signal captured by the camera to a digital value. The digital value is sent to the computer in ADUs (Analog to Digital Units). The A/D Converter also determines the bit resolution of the analog to digital conversion. The more bit resolution the A/D Converter has, the greater the range of ADUs, which yields a better range of image contrast from the camera. (If "X" equals the bit resolution of the A/D Converter, then 2expX = total range of ADUs.) For example, many commercial digital cameras use a 12-bit A/D Converter which has 4,096 ADUs, and high-end astronomical CCD cameras typically use a 16-bit A/D Converter which has 65,536 ADUs.

Thermoelectric cooling

A thermoelectric cooler draws heat away from the chip, which lowers the overall electronic "noise" in the resulting image. For every 6º drop in temperature, the dark noise in the image is reduced by half.

IR filter

CCD cameras are very sensitive to a wide range of wavelengths, including farther out into the infra-red spectrum than we can see by eye. Normally this is never a problem when looking through the telescope, but a sensitive CCD camera will see this slightly out of focus region of the spectrum, resulting in fatter stars than normal. An IR filter will cut out this region of the spectrum leaving tightly focused stars and a better overall image.

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

Orders received by 1pm Eastern Time for in-stock items ship the same business day. Orders received after 1pm will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

What is Orion’s Standard One Year Limited Warranty?
Orion warranties against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase for Orion brand products. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076. If the product is not registered, proof of purchase (such as a copy of the original invoice) is required. This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishandled, or modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives customer’s specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights, which vary from state to state. For further warranty service information, contact: Customer Service Department, Orion Telescopes & Binoculars, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076; (800) 676-1343.
Some items may be covered by a warranty period shorter or longer than the standard one year warranty. Specific warranty information is available on the product detail page of the website
What is Periodic Error Correction or PEC?
Periodic Error Correction, or PEC for short, is a system that improves the track accuracy for the drive by reducing the number of the user corrections. PEC is designed to improve photographic quality by reducing the amplitude of the worm errors. Using the PEC function is a two-step process. First you guide for at least 5 ½ minutes (the time it takes the worm to make one revolution) during which the system records the corrections you make. This “teaches” the PEC chip the characteristics of the worm. The second step is to play back the corrections you made during one recording phase. Keep in mind, this feature is for the advanced astrophotographer and requires careful guiding.

How do I clean any of the optical lenses?
Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces or finder scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses. Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, blow any loose particles off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air. Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics. Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily finger-prints and smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution; rubbing too hard may scratch the lens. On larger lenses, clean only a small area at a time, using a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse tissues.
When I use my motor drive, the moon drifts from the field of view.
The moon moves at a slightly slower rate from East to West than sidereal rate, so the motor speed needs to be reduced. If it North or South, the polar alignment should be checked.
Can I do astrophotography with my Orion SkyQuest XT?
SkyQuest XT Dobsonians are designed for visual, not photographic use. The Dobsonian mount is not an equatorial type mount, so it cannot be motor driven for long exposure astrophotography. You can take great shots of the moon with film or digital camera, but that is the extent of astrophotography with a Dobsonian telescope.

How do I clean any of the optical lenses?
Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces or finder scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses. Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, blow any loose particles off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air. Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics. Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily finger-prints and smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution; rubbing too hard may scratch the lens. On larger lenses, clean only a small area at a time, using a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse tissues.
How do I troubleshoot 64 bit Windows driver installation?
Trouble shooting Vista 64 Drivers - 04/2010
If 32 bit drivers have been installed on a 64 bit computer running Windows 7 or Vista:

1. If there has been a previous installation, the camera should be plugged into the computer.
2. Click on start.
3. Click on Control Panel.
4. Click on Hardware and Sound.
5. Click on Device Manager.
6. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
7. Right click on Orion StarShoot camera.
8. Click OK when the warning message appears.
9. Click on uninstall and check the box to uninstall all associated software, click OK.
10. Go to Control Panel and uninstall any StarShoot software such as PHD
11. In windows explorer, find the c:\windows\system32\drivers folder and delete the file named ssagload.sys.
12. Restart the computer
13. Install the 64 Bit driver as per the instructions on the web.
14. The camera should get recognized at this point.

Forcing the 64 bit driver installation when needed on Windows 7.

1. There have been some instances when the device driver wizard will not launch when you plug in the camera but the computer chimes. Open the device manager.
2. Look for Other Devices on the list of devices.
3. There may be an "Unknown Device" listed under Other devices. This is most likely the camera.
4. Double Click on the unknown device (or right click and select properties).
5. Click on the Driver tab.
6. Click on Update Driver.
7. Select Browse my computer for driver software.
8. Click on Browse and then locate the folder where the needed driver is and then click next.
9. Windows should install the driver.
10. If successful, the StarShoot camera will appear under the USB serial controllers list and the camera is now installed.

With its high 74% quantum efficiency, the StarShoot AutoGuider Pro will "guide" you to capturing better pictures. This multipurpose monochrome device is primarily designed for autoguiding, but also performs as a high-quality astrophotography camera.

The Orion ShortTube 80 is perfect being used as a guide scope with a CCD autoguider. It is a compact scope with optics that deliver bright wide-field images. This product is just the tube assembly with no accessories.

This 105mm ID Pair of Orion Guide Scope Rings will attach to a mounting plate for Orion guidescopes of up to 80mm aperture. Each ring has three black nylon alignment screws which will not scratch the guidescope finish.

This versatile accessory lets you image and guide through a single telescope without the need for a separate guide scope! Its thin, 10.5mm profile is ideal for use with Newtonian reflectors which have limited "back focus" travel.

For photographing and guiding at the same time, the Orion Deluxe Off-Axis Guider is perfect. It eliminates the need for a separate guide scope, fixes tracking problems such as differential flexure and mirror shift, and reduces set up time.

The StarShoot AutoGuider from Orion Telescopes & Binoculars is so affordable that now even casual astrophotographers can justify the cost of being freed from the tedium of manually guiding a telescope during long exposures... The StarShoot AutoGuider is supplied with powerful yet easy-to-use software...

At Orion, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and passion for astronomy and astrophotography with the amateur astronomy community. Visit the Orion Community Center for in-depth information on telescopes, binoculars, and astrophotography. You can find astrophotography "how to" tips and share your best astronomy pictures here. Submit astronomy articles, events, and reviews, and even become a featured Orion customer!